"At the beginning of the novel, the Indestructibles weren’t very indestructible. During their first official mission, for example, they looked like a bunch of toddlers in a bouncy castle. But over time, and through experience and good-fellowship, they figured out how to become superheroes. “Every so often humanity gets lucky and a hero is born,” says Dr. Silence. “And these heroes shine in the sun.” Three cheers for Solar, Dancer, Fury, Straylight, and Entropy: the five brightest stars in the sky."

"I’ve often said that if a book can grab me in the first chapter it’s got me. This one did it in ten pages. The elevator pitch is somewhere around, a Professor X type builds a new team of young super powered’s to replace his disbanded Justice League style team. Or maybe it’s (a less angsty) Breakfast Club meets the JLA?

"...What makes this book unique and interesting is the interpersonal relationships and the growth of the characters. We all love our superhero trysts and triangles. Who does Wonder Woman really love? Will Wolvie and Cyke ever really get along? Will Jean Grey ever realize Cyclops is an ass? Now Matthew didn’t go too far, but this is YA fiction so I was expecting the drama. He played some of the best of the X-men and JLA personality conflicts out in new and different ways, without pandering or relying too heavily on any tropes."

“The Indestructibles” is a so-called YA novel, although to quote Stephen Colbert, that usually just means it’s a regular novel that people actually read. And this one is definitely well suited to your average 12-year-old superhero fanatic.

But if you’re like some of us, you have an inner 12-year-old that you can access at a moment’s notice, sort of like Bruce Banner does with the Hulk in “The Avengers.” (“That’s my secret, Cap -- I’m always 12.”) If that’s you, and you know who you are, you’ll probably get almost as much out of “The Indestructibles” as any prepubescent superhero junkie.-Peter Chianca

For Book 2: Breakout from Popdose: "Phillion juggles the multi-pronged plotlines well, even managing to
fit in a burgeoning subplot involving the resurgence of the generation
of heroes that preceded the current crop. And the action is impeccably
choreographed, no small achievement when you don’t have panels full of
artwork to fall back on.
"But the novel’s strength is no doubt its characters: Even more so
than the first book, where it was hard not to assign standard superhero
tropes (Kate = Batman, etc.), the superheroes of “Breakout” are people
first, Spandex-clad adventurers second. Add in the particular depth of
Phillion’s female characters — heroes and villains both — and you’ve got
a superhero saga that really does deserve to break out."From an interview with writer Lisa M. Collins:

As an author what inspiration or advice would you give to a writer who is working to make the transition to Author?

Don’t wait for someone to tell you to write. If you have a story, dive in and tell it. Everything else comes later. I often have people ask me if I think an idea is worth writing. There’s really no right way to do it. Dig in, find your voice, and don’t lock it away. And write what interests you. Your first audience member is yourself. If you love what you’re working on, you’ll be that much more successful in making sure you stick with it. And if you’re entertaining yourself, hopefully that means you’re writing something that will entertain others as well!

A question and answer session with author Matthew Phillion.

Q: The book is written as an ensemble piece. How did you approach developing an extensive cast of diverse personalities? MP: It’s an origin story, so we’re starting from scratch getting to know these characters. It didn’t hurt that I’ve been developing all of these personalities for years, which gave me time to figure out how they would not only think of themselves, but how they would play off each other in unique ways to help define them as individuals. There was so much opportunity for them to riff off each other’s strengths, weaknesses, and quirks. Q: It’s a “saving the world” story, but a lot of time is given to what the heroes are going through as they grow into their powers on a smaller level, too. How did that come into play? MP: They’re out to save the world, but at times their greatest challenges are their own insecurities and doubts. It’s only after they learn about themselves that they can change the world. And while it is a heroic, saving the world type of story, it’s also a coming of age tale, and no coming of age tale is complete without those smaller moments. Q: There are a lot of pop culture references peppered throughout the dialogue, especially sci-fi and comic book references. Why did you decide to bring those references into the world you were building? MP: I wanted it to be a self-aware book. This genre really builds upon itself, with every previous generation acting as the bones for the next iteration of stories to be built up. These characters grew up in a world with its own super-powered heroes, but also a sense of history and pop culture shared with our own. It is almost impossible to tell a story like this without tipping your hat to the past, and the characters, without breaking the fourth wall, are able to let the readers in on the secret handshakes of this genre. Q: So those jokes are kind of a nod to the reader. MP: Exactly. I wanted the characters to wink at the reader and say, we both know where we came from, and we’re inspired by the same mythologies. Q: The book reads very gender-neutral. Was that intentional? MP: Absolutely. There’s still even in this day and age a tendency to have books for boys and books for girls, and I wanted every character to not be defined by their gender or any other defining characteristic. It’s a book about people, not about categories. This was very important to me as I was writing. Q: How did you approach turning fantastical superhuman characters into down to earth young men and women? MP: Each of the heroes must combat the problems inherent with being a young person with their own fantastic challenges – setting barns on fire with your thoughts, sharing your brain with an alien – in a realistic, relatable way. They each have a part to play in making the world a better place, but they have to learn how to get out of their own way to get there. Q: The story doesn’t get too bogged down with navel-gazing, though. MP: Oh no. Sure, each character has a lot of growing up to do and a lot to learn about themselves, but they also have to stop a sentient hurricane, giant monsters, crazy cyborgs, hordes of flying robots, and evil magicians. All in a day’s work for The Indestructibles, though.